India's Women's Reservation Act 2023, guaranteeing 33% of legislative seats for women, has been enacted, sparking debate over its immediate implementation and future impact on political representation.
The Women Reservation Act 2023, which gives 33 per cent quota to women in legislatures, came into force on Thursday to operationalise the proposed amendment being discussed in Parliament.
An official explained that bringing the law into force was essential as its proposed amendment will not have come into effect without that.
The constitution amendment Bill became a law but did not become part of the Constitution as the government did not bring it into force.
If a law does not come into force, how can its proposed amendment be implemented. Hence it was brought into force with effect from April 16, the official explained.
The 2023 act was notified with effect from April 16 in the midst of the debate in Parliament to amend the same law for its implementation in 2029.
Another official had Thursday night cited "technicalities" for bringing the law into force without elaborating. Though the act has come into force, the reservation cannot be implemented in the current House, the official said.
Reservation for women can be implemented after carrying out a delimitation exercise on the basis of the next Census, the official said.
The notification read: "In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Constitution (One Hundred and Sixth Amendment) Act, 2023, the Central Government hereby appoints the 16th day of April, 2026 as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force."
In September 2023, Parliament passed the 'Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam', commonly known as the Women's Reservation Act, in a significant step towards enhancing women's representation in legislative bodies.
The act provided for the reservation of one-third of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state legislative Assemblies.
Under the 2023 law, the reservation would not become enforceable before 2034, as it was tied to the completion of the delimitation exercise post 2027 Census.
The three bills -- 'The Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-First Amendment) Bill, 2026', 'The Delimitation Bill, 2026' and 'The Union Territories Laws (Amendment Bill), 2026' --currently being debated in Lok Sabha were brought in by the government so that the women quota could be implemented in 2029.